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First Powerup Checklist -

We have provided you a list of things you need to check for when you first use the DSM hardware and software. Going through this list will ensure proper operation of the DSM in the future.

1. Power Plug Connection

First you must make your own power plug to connect the power supplies to the DSM board. It is VERY important that you have the wires to the plug in the right order and that the wires are connected to the correct power supplies.

The power plug is rated for a maximum of 300V and 8A. The company that makes the plug suggests wire size that range from 16 to 24 AWG. We recommend that you use the thickest wire possible and therefore you should use 16 AWG wires. The strip length at the ends should be at least 5mm (0.2 inches).

We suggest that you either color code the wires or label them so that you do not plug them into the wrong power supplies. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of the correct power supply connections. A wrong connection can potentially damage the board permanently.

The plug has tabs so that there is only one orientation in which the plug and the header can connect.

With the screws and tabs facing upward and the tabs facing to the right, connect the wires as indicated. Please strip at least 5mm (0.2 inches) of the wire and insert into the square holes on the opposite side of the tabs (on the left side in the image below).

After inserting each wire, use a 5/64" slotted screwdriver to fix the wire in place. Repeat this procedure for all six wires.

2. Power Supply Levels

After connecting the DSM board to the power supplies with the power plug turn on the power supply. When you power up the power supplies, try to turn them on in the following order: +5V and -5V first then the +1.8V and +3.3V last. This is to ensure that the DDS is ready before memory is turned on.

You must now check to see if there is any significant voltage drop across the power plug wires. You can check the voltage levels at the board by probing the screws on the power plug which you used to tighten the wires to the plug. Both the grounds should be close to 0V and should not differ much from each other. The +5V, +3.3V, +1.8V and -5V supplies should all be close to their respective values and should not differ by more than a few hundredths of a volt. For example the 1.8V supply might be around 1.75V or 1.78V and these would be considered normal. But if the 1.8V had a reading of 1.69V then there is too much voltage drop across the wire.

If you had connected the power supplies in the wrong setup then there is a high chance that there would be a short. If there is a short then the current reading on the power supply would be out of the normal range. Listed below are what we consider to be the normal current readings for each of the four power supplies:

Voltage	Current Min	Current Typical	Current Max
+5V		96 mA
+3.3V		64 mA
+1.8V	120 mA		458 mA
-5V		1100 mA

If any of the currents are out of range then it is possible that either the board has a physical defect or your power supply is connected wrong. First check to make sure that the power supplies are connected correctly. Even if you do correct the power supply connections after a wrong connection your board may not function anymore. In this case you will need to contact us.

3. Initial Powerup Waveform

You will now need to check if the initial powerup waveform is correct. Connect your clock to the DDSCK SMA and set the frequency to 2 GHz. Then connect your oscilloscope to the DDSOP SMA and your spectrum analyzer to the DDSON SMA. You should see something like the following:

If you can see the waveforms correctly then you can go on to install the DSM software. If you can see a waveform but it does not look like the one above then try turning off the 1.8V and 3.3V power supplies and then turn them back on. If after a few tries the waveform still does not show up correctly then you will need to contact us for troubleshooting. Likewise, if you do not see any waveform at all then you will also need to contact us.

4. Software Installation

Please follow the instructions detailed in the Software Setup section of the manual. Please be sure to also check the Software Requirements section. After installation, navigate to the DSM program folder and check to see if there is a file called "DSM_SGN_0XX.dat" where XX is your DSM series number. This is the signature file that will allow you to switch clock frequencies without needing to adjust internal DSM settings for proper operation. If you do not have this signature file in the program folder, then you will need to contact us.

Since there are different software for different boards, we have provided a version matrix so that you can make sure you have the right software for your board.

HW Name	GUI	API	FW
DSM301A	2.2	1.1	2.2
DSM301B/C	3.0	1.2	3.0
DSM301D	3.1	1.4	3.1